Motor vehicle



C. R. PATON MOTOR VEHICLE Feb; 1, 1938.

Filed Jan. 20, 1934 Patented Feb. 1, 1938 2,107,082

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFIQE MOTOR VEHICLE Clyde R. Paton, Birmingham, Mich, assignor to Packard Motor Car Company, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application January 20, 1934, Serial No. 707,450

4 Claims. (Cl. 267-11) This invention relates to motor vehicles and a stabilizing mechanism incorporating my invenmore particularly to stabilizing mechanism. tion associated therewith;

With vehicles having a frame or load carrying Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same taken on member flexibly supported by suspension means line 2-2 of Fig. 1; connected with the wheels, there are circum- Fig. 3 is another vertical sectional view taken 5 stances in the operation of the vehicle causing on line 3--3 of Fig. 1 through one of the flexible the frame or load carrying member to tilt or couplings;

sway unless suitable control means is provided. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View taken on line This condition occurs when there is a change in 4-4 of Fig. 1 illustrating a form of shock ab- ]9 the direction in which the vehicle is traveling sorber with which my invention is associated. 10 and obviously inclination of the vehicle seat is In the illustrated embodiment of the invenobjectionable to occupants. tion, the rear portion of a frame or carrying Various control devices have been proposed to member is shown to include a pair of longitudieliminate body sway and one of these consists nally extending side sills Ill which are spaced by of connecting the movable portions of opposite cross members H fixed thereto. Extending 15 shock absorbers so that they will move uniformly transversely of the frame is a rear driving axle and simultaneously. Such a connection elimicarrying housing 12 having rear driving wheels nates body sway but it increases the roughness l3 and M at the ends thereof and connected to of the ride occurring in boulevard travel where be driven in a conventional manner. End por- 50 there are small irregularities in the road surface. tions of the axle housing are secured to longitu- In order to permit slight movement of either dinally extending spring structures I5 and [B by wheel without transmitting the motion to the a pair of spring clips I! and I8 and clip plates other wheel and to substantially eliminate side IS and 20. The ends of the spring structures sway when changing the direction of vehicle are pivotally secured to the side sills as indicated 2.3 travel, it has been proposed in Patent No. at 2|. I 1,963,689, issued June 19, 1934, to provide a lost Stabilizing mechanism is provided between the motion connection between the shock absorbers. axle and the frame and includes generally a pair This invention is an improvement upon the of shock absorbers having inter-connected movstructure shown in the above mentioned Backable portions.

3 dahl Patent No. 1,963,689 and has for its object Fixed to each side sill of the frame is a shock the provision of stabilizing mechanism for a moabsorber casing 22 with each of which is associtor vehicle which will allow a limited relative ated a movable element 23 in the form of a vane vertical movement between the opposite wheels or piston. There is also an abutment element 24 and at the same time will permit lateral disfixed in each casing having a duct 25 extending placement of the connection between the wheels therethrough. The casings are substantially without disrupting the fixed relation of the stafilled with fluid and oscillation of the vanes will bilizing elements with the vehicle parts. force fluid from one side thereof to the other Another object of the invention is to provide through the ducts 25, the direction of movement a flexible connection between a pair of shock depending upon the direction in which the vanes absorbers which is of a character such that the are moving. This form of shock absorber is con- 40 movable parts thereof will have a small independventional and a further explanation thereof is not ent rotary movement and at the same time will believed to be necessary in this connection.

permit a variable lateral spacing of the portions Between the movable elements of the two shock of the shock absorbers fixed to the frame of a absorbers is arranged a connection, which in vehicle. this instance is in the form of an articulated 45 A further object of the invention is to provide shaft by means of which the movable shock aba stabilizing mechanism in which there is a lat.- sorber elements are moved together after a limerally flexible connection between moving parts ited oscillation of one of the vanes and relative of a pair of oppositely disposed shock absorbers. lateral movement of the fixed casings will be Other objects of the invention will appear from compensated for without interfering with the 50 the following description taken in connection driving connection or the disarrangement of any with the drawing, which forms a part of this specof the elements of the stabilizing device. Fixed ification, and which: to the shaft sections 26 and 21 and intermediate Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the rear such shaft sections and in alignment therewith end of a motor vehicle partly in section having is another shaft section 28. Between the adja- 55 the shafts 2e and 21.

' as rubber.

The couplings are similar and a description of one will suffice. The shaft section 28 has a flanged sleeve 29 fixed to each endthereof and a flanged sleeve 30 is fixed to each end of the shaft sections 26 and 21. Between the adjacent flanged ends of the sleeves 29 and 30 is a fabricated structure consisting of two sheet metal disc sections 3| secured together by bolts 32 and having a plurality of openings extending in an axial direction therethrough for the reception of sleeves 33 and resilient bonding material 34 such The rubber is preferably vulcanized to the carrier and to the sleeve. A pair of bolts 35 extend through two opposite sleeves and the flanged end of the sleeve on the shaft section fixed to avane, while bolts 36 extend through the other two opposite sleeves and the flanged end of the sleeve 29, all of such bolts being secured axially by .nuts as'indicated at 3?. It will be thus'seen that the coupling herein described permits adjacent sleeves on the shaft'sections to rotate a limited amount relatively before establishing a positive driving connection and that there can be axial movement between the sleeves of the adjacent ends of the shaftsections.

Bolted to each of the clip plates 20 is a bracket 38 having an arm 39 projecting therefrom inwardly of the frame and oneach of thesearms is mounted a link which is pivotally connected to the'end of an arm 4 I. These arms extend substantially longitudinally of the frame and their forward ends are fixed to the adjacent shaft section 26, 21. Vertical movement of the rear axle housing or the frame will transmit oscillatory motion to the vanes through means of the arms 39, the links 40, the arms 4| and the shaft sections 26 and 21. Fluid in the shock absorber casings will resist oscillation of the vanes and thereby dampen the normal action of the spring structures in both' directions of vertical movement. i V d V Theshaft structure connecting the shock ab sorber pistons is formed to distort torsionally and thereby allow a limited relative vertical movement between a wheel and the load supporting means without transmitting a similar movement be,- tween the opposite wheel and the load supporting means. Theelastic quality of the couplings permit such distortion and in addition to this oneof the metal shaft sections, preferably the section 28, is formed of material such that it will distort torsionally. Due 'to the difference in the characteristics of rubber and metaL'the couplings will distort more readily than the shaft so that the major distortion of the couplings will occur during the initial distortion of the shaft section. .As a consequence, one shock absorber piston can move relative to the other against resistance which is relatively slight and continued relative movement will be gradually resisted to' amuch greater degree until the pistons move together. It will thus be seen that, when one wheel of the vehicle encounters small irregularities in wheel and thus boulevard riding issmooth At the same time, the torsion of the shaft section will resist sudden increased vertical movement of one wheel so that within certain limits the movement of one wheel will not be transferred to any material extent to the other wheel. The shaft will, however, function to prevent tilting of the body to any appreciable extent.

There is a certain amount of frame twisting which is much more pronounced with independently mounted front wheels than with interconnected front wheels. In view of distortion of the frame'structure, relative movement of the side sills having the shock absorber casings fixed thereto tends to distort the interconnected stabilizing mechanism but with the flexible couplings, of the type herein described, the side sills of the frame can move laterally relatively with- V out interfering with the driving connection between the moving parts of the shock absorbers and without disturbing the connections of the shock absorber casings with the frame or the ef fective relation of other elements of the stabiliza shock absorber for each wheel, said shock absorbers being mounted on the vehicle in' transversely spaced relation and each shock absorber having a movable portion, and torsion shaft means interconnecting the movable portions of said shock absorbers, said shaft means having a flexible section fixed therein permitting elongation and contraction thereof transversely of the vehicle. a

2. In a vehicle having a pair of oppositelydisposed suspended wheels, stabilizing mechanism comprising a shock absorber for each wheel having a movable section, and means connecting the movable portions of saidshock absorbers including a connection flexible to stretch or :contract transversely of the vehicle. 7

3. In a vehicle having'a pair of oppositely. disposed suspended wheels, stabilizing mechanism comprising a shock absorber for each wheel having a movable portion, and a driving connection between the movable. portions of said shock absorbers, said connection having a rubber section flexible to stretch or contract transversely of the vehicle relative to its position of rest.

4. In a vehicle having a pair of, oppositely dis-- posed suspended wheels, stabilizing mechanism comprising a shock absorber for each Wheelhaving a movable portion, and a driving connection between the movable portions of said "shock absorbers, said connection having a rubber sectionintermediate its ends allowing limited relative rotation of said movable shock absorber'portions and relative movement of the same portions of said shock absorbers transversely of the vehicle in either direction from normal'position.

CLYDE R. PATON. 

